


Interview with a War Criminal

by Brennan4



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Nazis, Slurs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-13
Updated: 2013-09-13
Packaged: 2017-12-26 11:47:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/965576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brennan4/pseuds/Brennan4
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Agent Carter has been assigned to interview a man for a position as a researcher for the Allies: Arnim Zola, right hand man to the Red Skull.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interview with a War Criminal

Arnim Zola was certain that they were making him wait longer than they needed to. He knew that the Allies didn’t put the same level of value on organization and punctuality as his people did, but this was ridiculous. The interview was scheduled to begin three whole minutes ago. They had to be doing this on purpose.

Finally someone entered the interrogation room. Zola recognized Agent Peggy Carter, even though they hadn’t met in person yet. He was familiar with her work and her reputation. She had been considered a legitimate threat during the war, and did not appear to be slowing down now that the war was over.

“I assume you have been told what this interview is about.” From the moment she made eye contact, her entire demeanor became cold and harsh. Zola knew for a fact that this was not her permanent attitude, and that she must be particularly unhappy with this turn of events.

“Not really, “ answered Zola. “They didn’t give me much of a choice when they brought me here. Apparently the deal I made with the Colonel didn’t give me as much freedom as he let on.”

“Well the today’s your lucky day,” she growled, handing him a thick file. “Your name came up on a list the former Allied Powers have been putting together. A bunch of the highest ranking scientists in the former Third Reich have been selected for recruitment to work for us.”

Zoal was genuinely surprised. “I assume the ones they already executed as war criminals didn’t make the cut?”

“No.”

“And I assume that that means I’ll be further pardoned for my research for Germany?”

“Like I said, it’s your lucky day.”

Carter flipped through the documents on the table, which contained excerpts of Zola’s lab reports.

“You have already been forgiven for aiding Johann Schmidt, but you were going to be punished for your work for the Nazis.”

“You know, we never called ourselves Nazis. It’s actually an insulting term. We referred to ourselves as National Socialists.”

“You seem awfully proud of your work for them. Why was it so easy for you to turn traitor?”

Zola laughed. “Easy? It wasn’t easy at all. I never wanted to betray the Reich.”

“So why did you?”

“Because Schmidt did. When his overseers came to remove him, he murdered them in cold blood and declared war on Germany. If I hadn’t sided with him, he would have killed me too.”

Carter began jotting something down in her notebook. “So you were a miserable prisoner of Schmidt the entire time? You never supported his actions or research?”

“I admit there was a certain thrill to the inventions I made using the Tesseract. But I always lived in fear of Schmidt, and what he planned to do with it.”

Carter looked up and peered straight into the small man’s eyes. “So you were willing to give a madman the tools to blow up the world, as long as he spared you?”

“My mind may incredible, but my body was too weak to fight him. It was a lost cause. I wouldn’t expect a woman to understand.”

Carter bit her tongue. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I think it’s safe to say you’re a little out of your league here,” said Zola with a grin. “The only reason they keep you around is because you’re the Captain’s whore. Your entire life is a lost cause.”

Carter felt a wave of rage rush through her entire body. It took all of her composure not to grab Zola’s diminutive body and slam it against the wall. The scientist could see her struggle, which pushed him even further.

“I get the feeling this entire interview is a redundancy. Whatever you write down, my position is secure, isn’t it?”

Agent Carter was silent for a second. Then she smiled. “It’s true. No matter how much I think we should take you out back and shoot you like the animal you are, you’re safe. They want to give you the job. You’re too valuable an asset. My superiors want to the power of that Cube, and don’t care how they get it.”

“So why the smile?”

“You’re going to be right back where you started. You will have no control over your projects. No freedom. No agency. You’ll have to spend the rest of your life working for someone bigger than you. And that’s not even the best part.”

“What would that be then? Enlighten me.”

“You’ll be surrounded by people who get to go home every day to loving friends and family. The rest of them won’t be like Schmidt’s lackeys. You’ll have to see the life you could have had if you hadn’t sided with psychopaths.”

“I think we’ve reached the end of the productive portion of this interview,” growled Zola.

“Indeed we have,” said Carter, as she walked out the door.

The lights in the room flickered and faded. Zola looked around in confusion. A cloaked figure came out of the shadows.

“Who are you?” Zola hid the fear in his voice, a skill he had spent years developing.

A raspy voice said, “I am a messenger for a being named Thanos. He has taken interest in your work with the Cube.”

“What does he want with me?”

“For now, all you need to do is lay low. But you have a long game to play. It involves you getting revenge on the legacy of Captain Rogers.”

Zola grinned. “Count me in.”


End file.
